Word of The Year - Build

Word of The Year: Build

After much thought over the holidays, I’ve decided to select the word “Build” for my new Word of the Year. Why? Because I’m going to build on all the good work I did in 2023.

Despite a few fits and starts, last year was a revelation for me. My focus on eight areas of my life put my life into a deeper perspective, and I’m glad I did that.

This year I plan on focusing my new Word of the Year on six main areas:

Build out my non-Medium sites

I run three newsletter-driven sites outside of Medium. One is about Engineering, Technology, and Startups (free), the second is about Making Money (freemium), and the third is about Climate Change and Environmental Issues (free but a donation model). All three have seen varying degrees of growth last year and I’m going to put my foot on the gas there.

Build expertise

I’m working on a secret personal project that saw its first “green shoot” at the end of December. This secret project is part of my effort to reinvigorate and build my expertise.

It started last year when I had an epiphany about who I am and what I’ve learned and done in my career as a startup and engineering guy. The metaphorical stars aligned, the angels sang, and a light bulb went off in my head.

The only obstacle I have to overcome is how to market myself and this new project. That’s what I’ll need to figure out over January. I have some ideas.

Build my bottom line by cutting costs

I started cutting a lot of side projects last year that were just cost sinks. If I want to keep my eye on the prize this year I’m going to have to cut more costs by shutting down many extraneous subscriptions and subdomains.

Refocus, cut the noise, and build on all the good work I achieved last year.

Build my body

Last year was a big year for me concerning my health. After having alcohol in my life since I was a teenager, I finally kicked it to the curb at age 52. I looked in the mirror and saw a misshapen man who for the past 3 decades abused his body with that poison. On October 7, 2023, I decided to stop. It’s been an interesting ride since that day and I’m discovering things I haven’t felt since I was 15.

My goal this year is to (re)build my body by doing kettlebell training three times a week. I trained with kettlebells for two months a few years back and saw amazing results back then. Then I got distracted and lost all that hard work I did. This time it will be different.

Build my mind

I didn’t excel at my goal of reading more books last year, so I need to do better this year. My goal for 2024 is to build my mind with the books I already have. I want to finish the pile of books on my nightstand and I want to take notes! Yes! I want to take notes like If I were a graduate student again!

I reread Notes From Underground over a year ago and found a copy that had someone’s notes scribbled in the margins. I fell in love with this because I got more value out of the book I read. That’s the plan for 2024, finish what I started and optimize my mind.

Build my relationships

After an amazing “second honeymoon” last year with my partner and a kick-ass year with my children, how can I not apply my new Word of the Year to them?

This year I’m going to build on all the good work I’ve been doing over the years on my relationships. My daughter needs her Dad more than ever as she’s navigating college life and romantic relationships as an adult. My son needs me more than ever as he navigates growing up as a young man in this society. Last but not least, my partner needs me in all facets of her life just as much as I need her in all of mine.

Shoutout

As I did last year when I jumped on the bandwagon for the Word of the Year, I want to give a “shout-out” to the OG, Yael Wolfe, for starting this trend. It’s a wonderful way to set a goal for yourself that isn’t a resolution.